Springs Preserve Museums

We visited Springs Preserve in 2011 using our Garden Pass which gives us free access to gardens all over the US and even in a few other countries. This time we decided to pay the discounted price so that we could visit the museums that aren't included with the pass. According to the website the garden pass is good for the Botanical Garden and Trails only so that means to visit the Desert Living Center, Origen  Museum, Nevada State Museum, Waterworks Exhibit, Boomtown-1905, and the Butterfly Habitat pass holders must pay the extra price. 

We went too slow and only saw the Origen Museum and the Nevada State Museum. We'll have to go back next year! The Origen Museum covers human history of the Springs Preserve and Las Vegas which includes Native Americans, land auctions, the growth of the railroad, Hoover Dam, and a simulated flash flood. The Nevada State Museum features fossils, early settlers, the beginnings of Las Vegas and Reno, and a changing exhibit gallery. 

The museums are accessible but a long, paved uphill path must be navigated to get to the entrances. One exhibit in the Origen Museum is too high to view. We walked/rolled part of the way along the accessible, paved Exploration Loop Trail but didn't have enough time to go from the trail access point at the tram station to Boomtown, approximately 1/3 mile. The entire loop is 3.5 miles. The tram (trackless train) is accessible and I think it goes around the entire loop with a stop at Boomtown. 

We were directed to the south parking lot where there's an entrance to the botanical garden area. When entering note the location of this entrance/exit. We couldn't find it when it was time to leave and ended up walking/rolling along a road that didn't have a sidewalk. The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle. Preserve  36.17017, -115.19205

Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park

Small animals and bird are represented in this tiny zoo. It's not in the same class as other zoos that we've visited but the animals look well cared for. 

The paths are paved but not in good condition plus the park is very hilly. Most wheelchair users will need assistance. Viewing is blocked at some of the enclosures by fencing and railings. An accessible shuttle can be reserved by calling 24 hours in advance. 

The entrance road makes several tight turns. RVs should be able to navigate through them. The parking lot is small but RVs will fit unless the zoo is very busy. Zoo  42.07499, -75.90693

 

Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

We really enjoyed visiting this gorgeous, historic greenhouse however I didn't know that it came close to being demolished until I started researching to write this blog post. The first threat occurred in 1929 due to poor management, low attendance and structural disrepair. Fortunately, repairs were made with federal funding, then in 1977 it suffered major damage from a blizzard but a partnership of public and private groups saved it. Between 2000 - 2017 almost all sections of the greenhouse were completely renovated. 

Each section of the greenhouse features a specific type of plant or environment. There are palms, bonsai trees, cacti, carnivorous plants, a rainforest and the Everglades. There also a small garden outside.

The greenhouse is accessible. The outside garden is not accessible due to loose, deep gravel. 

RVs will fit in the parking lot if backed up over the grass or parked lengthwise across the spaces. The sidewalk to the garden entrance goes uphill. Parking is available along the street which is closer to the entrance and avoids some of the uphill journey. There are curb cuts but no marked crosswalk. Garden  42.82914, -78.82557

Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park

 Frontier Park was created in 1951 as a green space with a playground and tennis courts. Years later, in 1997, a local couple proposed planting trees in the park and making an arboretum. Over a thousand trees have been planted, trails have been developed, an amphitheater was built, and a labyrinth was created but the coolest things are the long slides which use the slope of the hillside as support. 

The park is small. The paved trails are about a mile long which includes using the sidewalk for a short distance to make a loop. The gravel and dirt paths make a 1/2 mile loop. 

Most wheelchair users will need assistance because Cascade Creek which runs through the center of the park is at the bottom of a valley so the trails all have up and down slopes. 

Parking is limited. There's a small parking lot at the playground and tennis courts but the best place to park RVs is in the long pull out along 8th Street on the south side of the park. Arboretum  42.11556, -80.11649

Western Kentucky Botanical Gardens

At just 8.5 acres, this is a tiny garden. The garden path is only 1/4 mile long so we walked/rolled along it from both directions. Since the garden is relatively new there are still many plans for expanding it. A recent acquisition is the historic 1840 WeatherBerry house which is used as a welcome center and can be rented for special occasions. 

The welcome center and garden path is accessible. The pond and a few other gardens that are off the path are not accessible due to lumpy, grassy ground.

Short RVs will fit in the lot if backed up over the grass. It may be possible to park larger RVs in the overflow parking. Garden  37.77502, -87.14507

Clark Gardens

 Clark Gardens is the result of years of work by Max and Bobbi Clack who owned a company that specialized in burying fiber optic cables. Max also designed a rock saw that could cut trenches for the cables. The saw is on display at the far west end of the gardens.

The gardens cover 50 acres and includes roses, azaleas, lilies, irises, wildflowers, fountains, lakes, streams, and many paths.  Model trains run through a miniature garden and into a little town. A Historic Tree Trail features 86 trees grown from seeds or cutting from trees located at places of historic importance. This sycamore tree doesn't look very impressive but it was grown from a cutting of a tree that was grown from a cutting of the tree that Hippocrates sat under in Greece when he taught his students. 

 

Many areas of the gardens have facilities that can be rented. Chairs and tables were set up for an evening wedding when we visited. This was near the entrance of the gardens and was much more manicured than the rest of the gardens. Other areas looked slightly neglected with weeds growing in the flowerbeds and paths that needed repairs. This was especially noticeable at the Rose Garden and the Historic Tree Trail which look like they don't get many visitors perhaps because they're at the far end of the gardens. 

 

The gardens are large so most wheelchair users will need assistance. Paths vary - hard packed dirt, rough flagstone, broken paver brick, rough gravel, and lumpy grass. Obstacles include steps and uneven transitions between surfaces. 

 

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle. Gardens  32.80376, -98.02306